Costa Rica is a mountainous country located in Central America, a two and a half hour flight south of Miami, between Nicaragua to the north and Panama to the south. To the east is the Caribbean Sea and to the west, the Pacific Ocean. Official Language is Spanish. Climate ranges from 70º F to 90º F throughout the year.

Costa Rica has two international airports: The main one, Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO), is near the capital of San José. A second International Airport, Daniel Oduber, opened recently in the northwest province of Guanacaste, very close to the city of Liberia

The Costa Rican population is about 4 million. Eighty percent are Catholic, the official religion, and 20% observe other religions, predominantly Protestant. The literacy rate is 95% – the highest in Central America. The unemployment rate is 5%, and the annual rate of inflation is 10%

	Former president José Figueres Ferrer abolished the Costa Rican army in 1948, consolidating the country as one of the oldest democracies in the Americas. As result, citizens enjoy high levels of freedom and the country is a human-rights role model in Latin America. Bananas, coffee, meat and sugar are the traditional exports. Foreign and local investments have added electronic micro
components, pineapples, medicine and medical devices, ornamental plants, women's clothing, lowers, fish, glass containers and polyester fibres to this list.

Weather And Clothing

Costa Rica has two seasons: the dry season, which runs from December to April, and the rainy or green season, which runs from May to November. However, the rainy season is not continuously wet, and you may require a jacket or sweater in some of the dry-season evenings, depending on which of the country’s many microclimates you are visiting.

The North Pacific region (Guanacaste) is the driest side of the country, the Atlantic lowlands (Limón/Puerto Viejo) the wettest.

The Central Valley (San José) is the coolest, due to the altitude. As you are coming to a tropical country, your clothes should be casual, spring and summer wear. Sweaters and light jackets are suggested for higher elevations, such as San José, the volcanoes and Monteverde.